A Peaceful Morning
by Dark Calamity of Princess
Summary: Domestic AU, human AU. WBC x RBC. A drabble series about a policeman with troubling past and a delivery girl with a very big heart. How they meet, how they understand each other, how they build a loving family together. RnR please!
1. Chapter 1

**Because I need a domestic AU for WBC and RBC! Okay, this is will be a drabble series with messy timeline. There will be two OCs too for the kids, at first I want to use Platelets but OCs feels better for this. So, here we go!**

 **List of character name**

 **WBC – Iishiro Yorusawa**

 **RBC – Reimi Yorusawa (formerly Akachi)**

 **Special thanks for purpledinorus for betareading this fic**

 **Disclaimer: Hataraku Saibou is not mine, but the two children OCs are mine**

* * *

 **A Peaceful Morning**

At break of dawn, a man is turning around in his sleep. His eyes twitch before he opens them. He tries to close them again and continue to sleep, his body still feels heavy. But unfortunately, he can't ,so reluctantly he rises from his slumber.

The man reaches for his smartphone to check the clock in the dark room. It is still 5 o'clock in the morning. He yawns a little then turns to see his sleep company.

There she is, a beautiful woman with red hair; sleeping soundly beside him. The man swipes her bang then kisses her temple before walking out from bed. He opens the curtain of their room. It is still rather dark outside, but then again this is the usual time he wakes up.

So, the man goes into the bathroom, washes his face, brushes his teeth then changes his clothes. He stretches his muscle a little before decides there is still a lot of time before everyone else wake up, so maybe he should go out to run and get a little breath of fresh air.

He walks to the front door, but stop in front of another room. He opens the door as quietly as possible then spots two children sleeping peacefully on bunk beds. He can't hold his smile but he doesn't want to disturb their slumber so he closes the door again.

With his running shoes on, he opens the front door and goes outside of his quiet apartment. It is rather chilly, letting the fresh air washes his face, he goes to run.

Maybe running in the morning for long hours at the police station isn't a very wise decision, because the man can feel his head slowly throbs. But then again, it is nothing new. People can see his black eye bags, and they guess it correctly, he always has trouble with sleep. The man decides to take things slowly, rather than running in full force like he usually does.

The street is still empty around this hour. There are only a handful of people there, some are running just like him, others are sweeping their yards or throwing our the trash. Some people look at him, not everyday you see someone with pale white skin and white hair. He is used to that kind of attention. If people ask him whether he is an albino, he will say no. He is just naturally pale and has a rare condition of white hair. No problems under the sun for him, though he is rather more prone to heatstroke than normal people.

Once he feels his shirt damp with sweat, he turns back to the way to his home. The sky looks brighter now and his home will be livelier for any seconds now.

By the time he gets back, the apartment is still dark. Everyone is still sleeping, beside him. The man only shakes his head with a small smile. It is now just a little past 6 am, still early so it is okay to let them sleep more.

After a refreshing bath and a new set of comfortable shirt and jumper, the man turns to the kitchen. He opens the cupboard and refrigerator to check the food stock. Then he grabs a red apron from the corner and starts to cook.

A simple breakfast with toasts, jam, sunny eggs and some salad will be good for today, he decides. The man moves swiftly in the kitchen, while humming and smiling at the time. He is in a good mood today, ever since he wakes up. It is rare and he appreciates every seconds of it.

"Papa?"

He turns his eyes to the sound's source. A boy with similar white hair but more rosy skin is walking to him with sleepy eyes.

"Hey Mieru, I see you have woken up too," the man says. The boy just yawns and the man holds his chuckle.

"Where is Mama? Is she still sleeping?" the boy asks.

"Yeah, she is. Can you help me to wake her and Eri up? The breakfast will be ready in a few moments," he adds. The sleepy boy nodes quietly and walks to the bedroom.

The father sighs with a small smile then continues to prepare the breakfast. With some fresh tea leaves and hot water, he also prepares tea for him and his wife. It is their routine, he is a tea lover while his wife finally adapted to his taste after years. Not everyone likes to drink tea in the morning, most prefer coffee, but the man always likes tea better.

And moreover, coffee just gives him headaches.

When he finishes serving the breakfast at the table, he turns to the clock.

Mieru sure takes a long time waking up his mother and sister.

The man takes off his apron and walks out of the kitchen. As expected, the kid and now with his sister, is sleeping together with their mom on the bed. The man covers his mouth with his hand. They just look so cute together, his wife and children. So, he takes out his phone and take a picture of them.

They looks so peaceful, he feels a bit bad but he has to wake them up.

"Mieru, Eri, wake up or you guys will be late for school," He shakes them gently. His daughter just turns but then hugs her mother and continue to sleep.

"Reimi, I know you are awake. Please rise from the bed, you have to go to work too," he calls his wife now.

She smiles, a beautiful smile that he loves very much, and opens her eyes.

"I'm still sleepy," she says.

"The kids need to wake up now. It is eight o'clock, they will be late," he adds.

"What!? Eight o'clock!? Why you didn't wake me up sooner!? I have class duty this morning!" Unexpectedly, Mieru wakes up instantly. But then he turns to see the clock and pouts at his father.

"It is still a little past seven!" he complains and the man can't help but laughs at his son behavior.

"I know, but you need to wake up," he says and pats Mieru's head.

"Now, what about the sleeping beauty we have here. Will you wake up with a kiss?" the mother teases her little daughter. The daughter with long red hair giggles but refuses to open her eyes.

"From Papa?" she asks. The daughter is quiet.

"From Mama?" she asks again. Once again, the daughter is quiet.

"Oh I know, from Onii-chan right? Onii-chan, Eri needs your kiss to wake her up," her mother calls her son who still pouting beside the bed.

"Come on, Eri. I need to go to school earlier than usual, if you don't want to wake up now, I will leave you and go to school alone," he simply says before he get out from his parent's bedroom.

"No! Onii-chan don't leave Eri alone!" Eri instantly wakes up and hurriedly after her older brother.

"Since when he able to threaten her like that?" the father asks in confusion.

"He is different from you," the wife adds with a little laugh. The man just shakes his head at their behavior.

"I thought I have asked you to wake me up in the morning to prepare breakfast, Iishiro-san."

Now, that is the demanding tone from his wife, the one which sends shiver down his spine every time he hears it.

"You were sleeping so peacefully, so I felt bad to wake you up, Reimi" he tries to explains. His wife pouts in a similar way of his son earlier did.

"You have been working so hard for the past three days. And once you get a day off, rather than sleeping more, you just went your way to dote your wife and children. What can I do with you? Where is my turn to dote on you?" she retorts back.

That is the most cutest reason for her to be mad, Iishiro can't help but laughs and kisses her cheek lovingly. Reimi sighs and peck on his lips then she hugs him.

"How is your sleep last night?"

"Peaceful."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that," Reimi sighs with a relieved expression .

"Now, lets get breakfast. Mieru did say he has a morning duty today. He is such a responsible kid for his age."

"He gets that from you," Reimi teases him and Iishiro just laughs to hide his embarrassment.

IoI

"Slow down, son! You don't need to be in such hurry, you still have enough time," Iishiro reminds his eldest son.

"Yeah, but I also have to feed the goldfish," Mieru says while chewing on his food as fast as possible.

"The goldfish?" Iishiro asks back.

"Yeah, our class has goldfish. There are three of them," Mieru explains again. Iishiro just nods while Reimi looks like she has known. He frowns to her with a silent question 'so elementary schools have goldfish in classes?' she smiled back to him with silent answer 'yes, they have, since long time ago, Iishiro-san.'

Iishiro just tilts his head in confusion, then again his childhood is not so normal so he might have been missing so many things.

"I'm finished!" Mieru shouts then put away the dirty plate on dish washer before grabbing his bag and prepares to dash off.

"No! Onii-chan! Wait for me!" Eri certainly can't eat as fast as her older brother. She is a slow eater and likes to play with her food before eating it. She try to eat faster before also dashing out of the table without cleaning her dish.

"She is so much like you," Iishiro smiles at his daughter antics while cleaning Eri's dirty dish.

"Yes, she is cute just like me," Reimi adds. Iishiro walks to the front door and finds Mieru has been waiting Eri all this time in front of the door with his shoes on.

"Come on!" he says.

So he doesn't leave her, Iishiro smiles at that.

"Now, becareful. Don't run too fast, you will upset your stomach. Hold Eri's hand when you cross the street-"

"Yes Dad, I know," Mieru cuts him before Iishiro can talk any further. It makes Iishiro wonders whether his son starts to enter a rebellious stage, sometimes calling him Papa then changes back to Dad, it is confusing but he doesn't mind it.

"It is your day off right?" Eri asks him while she put on her shoes.

"Yes," the father answers.

Eri smiles brightly, it makes Iishiro feels bad because he has been so busy and hasn't paying much attention to his children.

"Come on, Eri. Dad, see you later."

"Bye bye!" Eri waves before she follows her older brother.

"Becareful," Iishiro says and watches the door closes

He sighs and turns back to the kitchen. His wife is still chilling there with a cup of warm tea.

"For a second there you looks like a house husband," she teases him.

"You didn't see them off," he brushes off her tease. Maybe he can be a good house husband, but he is an active policeman right now, no plan to resign anytime soon.

"I see them off everyday, sometimes it is your turn," she adds with a playful eyes. Iishiro smiles then drink his tea.

"I need to go to work soon too," Reimi says while glancing at the clock.

"So, how is your work? Anything new?" Iishiro asks her wife.

"Nothing new, a few new coworkers here and there, it is as busy as usual in the delivery company," she answers him. He nods quietly.

"But, my coworker friends are mad to me recently."

"Huh, why?" he asks with worried face.

"Because when I told them about how you like to prepare breakfast whenever you can, they said I'm bragging my loving husband in front of them."

"….wasn't you bragging?"

"Yes, I was bragging. They deserve it. They mocked me, 'it must be hard to marry a policeman right?' or 'you must be lonely' then 'do you want to go to blind date with us next weekend'."

Iishiro chokes on his tea and coughs hard.

"There, there," Reimi pats his back gently. "Don't worry, they were just joking in the last part, but I still declined it."

Once the coughing subdue, Iishiro looks at his wife with worried face. He needs to admit, he has been so busy these days. Even if he is not a police detective, but there is a huge case in the town and every police is busy regardless their ranks and jobs.

"Sorry," he timidly says.

Reimi sighs. "You should have faith on me, Iishiro-san. Like I will cheat on you when I know you are working so hard for our little family," Reimi says then kisses her husband's cheek.

Iishiro feels so grateful. It must be hard to be his wife. He barely has days off, he often work until midnight and so on.

Yet, there she is, a strong wife who accepts his everything. So, he kisses her deeply. His hand caresses her check while he angling his head into better position.

"Iishiro-san, I need to go to work," Reimi adds with blushing cheeks.

Iishiro mumbles quietly, still busy kissing her face.

"I love you so much. If only I have better payment, I want to have another kid with you," he says after pecking her lips for one last time.

"Iishiro-san!" Reimi whines with a blushing face.

He just laughs and finally she laughs along as well.

Sometimes he still can't believe this is all happening to him. If someone said to him 10 years ago, that he would marry an amazing loving woman and have two adorable kids, he would say it was only a dream. An unreachable dream for him. The world felt so dark and cold. He had so many issues and a troubling past. He had never imagined he would have all of this.

"I'm so happy," he mumbles with a soft smile.

"I'm happy too," she replies back.

Now, here he is, a peaceful morning with his loving family.

 **End?**

* * *

 **1146 as a doting husband and father. Too OOC?**

 **I still want to write about how they first met. Anyone want it to continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews and favorites guys! English is not my first language so please bare it with me!**

 **Here is the next chapter!**

 **Beta read by purpledinorus**

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Most people are afraid of something they can't understand, control or predicted. So, the majority of people feel uneasy with minority, because of lack of understanding or just different circumstances.

That is what happened to this small boy. He is just a regular kid, around eight years old. But people disagree with that, he does not fall into normal categories. He has pale skin, very pale skin which doesn't look beautiful, but looks like he is a sick person, with white hair just like old people or albino. But, he is not an albino, that is what he understand from his doctor's explanation a long time ago. He is just different from the rest of those people.

Normal people.

He is walking out from school, trying his best to look indifferent from all of the staring directed to him. He just really stands out. Not only with his unique condition, but also with his white shirt, white short pants, white hat, white socks, and white shoes. He wears white color from head to toe, the exception his black bag.

The kid sighs. He has tried to ask different clothes and shoes, but... People just like to make him a weirdo.

A total freak.

So, he pulls his hat down, trying to cover most of his face.

If only he can wear something more normal, maybe... No, if only he has more normal appearance... No.

He sighs again. He plays 'what if' a lot. But, even with normal hairs, skin and clothes, he still would be a total freak.

An unwanted child.

A thrown-out child.

He has been living in the institution since he could remember. He has somewhat complicated circumstances, but is not uncommon in Japan.

He just knows that he has a mother.

And he just knows that she doesn't want him.

So, he is a freak, he is an unwanted child, he is...

"Oh stop that...," he mumbles weakly to himself. This is the reason why he has to change institution. The older people call him 'a problematic child'. He knows sometimes he can get so angry and destroy things, he always apologizes afterward. Outside of that, he believes he is a chill kid. Besides, he never hurts anyone, he just likes to break things. But of course, people in the institution won't have that. He has to move out to a more specialized institution to fix his problematic behavior.

His eyes feel watery, but he has enough crying. It's not that he loves his institution now. He gets bullied a lot by the older kids and the younger kids are afraid of him, but he is scared with the change.

He doesn't believe the next institution will be better for him.

He stops walking and turns to see a park. He has to go back to the institution, that is the rule. But, people will still send him away regardless of anything he do right now, so he decides to break the rule for once.

And more, he needs time for himself. The institution has zero privacy, he can't even crying peacefully in the bathroom. He just wants to be alone for awhile.

He walks to an empty swing and sits there. This park is rather quiet, maybe because the sky is dark. It will be raining in any second now.

There are some kids, they looks at him strangely and he ignores them. Their laughing echoes in his brain.

Maybe he should start to learn how to act normal.

If he can control his emotions better, if he doesn't have those 'episodes' again... Can he... Be happy-

No.

No way.

This again, this 'what if' again.

He bits his lips.

What is wrong with him?

He is just an eight year old kid. What he knows, he should have been living with his family, has friends and just do whatever normal kids do.

Not this.

He turns upward when he can feel a water drop on his face.

The other kids on the park runs to find shelter while he just walks toward the big slides. It has conneted tubes, bridge and stairs, a perfect place to protect him from the rain.

He climbes and crouches in one of the tube. It has windows, it is connected to a slide on other end.

The boy sits down and hugs his knees. At least, he has a legit reason to be late for going back to institution.

His eyes just zones out, watching the rain. It is calming him a bit. It does nothing to soothe his raging sorrow inside his chest, but this is the only comfort he has, so he will take it.

"Ouch! Owh!"

He almost jumps when suddenly another kid joins him in the tube.

A redhaired little girl, clearly younger than him. Upon seeing him, she is a bit scared. She is drenched with rain, he has no heart to tell her to screw off. So, he just pretends to be indifferent like always.

If she decides to leave because of his freaky appearance, then it is her problem, not his.

"Hey."

So, she decides to talk to him.

He just nods at her.

"Can I sit here?" she asks politely.

She is a polite kid for her age, he has to admit.

"Go ahead," he says.

So she sits not too far away from him. "Thank you," she squeaks with cute voice.

Wait, cute voice?

"You're welcome," he replies, pulling his hat down to cover his face.

She copies him, hugging her knees. There is a big scratch wound there. So, this is why she was whimpering in pain when she climbed to this tube.

She pokes her wound a little but she grimaces with pain. It looks painful and he is rather amazed that she is not crying. He has seen a lot of younger kids crying a lot for every little reasons in the institution.

So, he grabs his bag and takes out some band aids. He has a lot of them, because he gets injured a lot.

"Here, wear this."

He offers her two, the girl looks at him with her big eyes.

"Thank you," she replies timidly, but genuinely happy.

She wraps the band aid around her wound.

He inspects her for awhile, she looks younger than him. Maybe around five years old or maybe even younger than that.

"Where are your parents? Are you here alone?" he asks.

"Oh...," she looks timid again. "I want to play at the park... Then it rains," she answers.

And fell too, judging from her injury.

"Then, you has to check the window. Maybe, your mom will come with umbrella so you can get home," he says again, with a little bitter tone. But, he has no ill feelings to her. Just a little jealousy there, but she is younger than him and he can't harbor any ill feeling toward her.

"No... I don't have mom or dad," she says with gloomy voice. "And aunty won't search me... No one will come and bring me umbrella."

He blinks then turns to the windows.

"Oh...," he mumbles quietly.

She has a hard life too, just like him.

"What about you?" she asks him.

He gets quiet for a moment.

"No one will bring me an umbrella too, I'm living at an institution," he answers her.

Now, he can't understand himself, why he told her that.

She tilts her head in confusion.

"I don't have mom or dad either" he explains. Well, he technically has mom, it is just too complicated to explain it to her.

Then her mouth makes an 'o' shaped. Both of them turn to the window when they heard noises.

It looks like someone brings an umbrella for a child at the park. Judging from angry voices, maybe a mother. Both of them looks at those commotion before the little girl beside him sighs.

She looks so sad and her eyes seems wattery.

"I want someone bring me an umbrella too when it rains..." she mumbles quietly.

He glances to her. It feels weird, but he can relate a lot to her. Even though he is living in the institution and there many children with more or less same situation there, but it is hard to connect with them.

Even though she has different circumstances, which he believes still better than him at least, but right now he feels he can connect with her.

The loneliness and the sadness. She looks so composed even though she is so young, but she looks terribly lonely too, just like him.

"You will have someone too, later."

So he doesn't want her to be sad.

She turns to him with confused face.

"You will meet someone, maybe even get married and have a loving family when you grow up. You won't be alone forever," he explains.

She looks doubtful, no wonder, even he can't believe his own words.

"Really?" she asks.

"Yes," he says confidently. He doesn't know her well. Her red hair is a bit uncommon too, but still better than him. And she is a cute little girl, people will like her, well better than him at least.

She looks bashful for a second then smiles at him. A very cute smile.

"Thank you," she says.

He is just an eight years old boy, but he can tell that is a sincere smile.

It makes his chest warm despite the chilly air.

"You're welcome," he replies, pulling his hat down again to hide his embarrassment.

It has been a long time since he feels happy like this.

"I think you will meet someone too. Then marry, then have kids! We won't be lonely ever again!" she says with more cheerful voice.

The boy goes silent.

He doesn't know how to explain her.

Different from her, his future feels bleak to him. There is nothing there.

"I don't know... People don't like me... I don't know if someone even want to marry me," he manages to say.

He can't tell her that he is an unwanted child, or how he gets bullied a lot at school and institution, or how older people go uneasy around him too.

His own mother has thrown him into an institution before he can walk.

Who would want someone like him?

 _'It is because of your attitude, Iishiro-kun. You should try harder to be friends with kids around your age.'_

 _'Can you stop breaking things for one week, brat!? It's not like you are the only one with a hard life here!'_

 _'He is such a freak.'_

"I want to."

He turns to her with a surprised expression.

"What?"

"I want to marry you. I want to be your bride when I grow up!" she exclaims with a huge smile on her face.

"You are so cool, you are so kind. You gives me band aids and comforts me... No one do that to me..."

He just stares to her with gapped mouth.

"We can marry each other, then we won't be lonely ever again! We will have each other!" she looks so excited.

The only thing he can do is snort.

"Pfft..."

"Huh?" she turns to him and he smiles to himself.

"Only when we grow up and meet each other again," he decides to humor her.

"Really? Promise me!" she offers him her pinkie .

He stares to it for a second before links his pinkie with hers.

"Only if we meet each other again," he adds for one more time.

"Yes!" she says happily.

He can't say that he will move into different institute at other town tomorrow. He can't say that probably they won't meet again.

But, he doesn't want to destroy her cute smile. And, it feels good at least this little girl likes him, when everyone else doesn't.

"Oh! The rain stops!" she exclaims cheerfully.

"You are right," he adds.

The two kids climb out from the tube. She smiles at him and he smiles back.

"I have to go back to the institution" he says.

"Okay" she nods.

Then, he dashes off quickly before she can ask his name.

He hears her shouts from behind, but he just runs faster.

"I shouldn't have made that promise..." he mumbles to himself.

When he stops, he wants to cry. At least, he wants to say thank you for giving him a beautiful memory before he moves into a scarier institution. But, he just can't...

It is better for her to forget him, or at least, just remember him as a nameless kid.

Because they won't meet again.

And he knows he can't fulfill this little promise.

Even though, deep inside his hearts, he wants to meet her again one day, when they are grown ups and not as miserable as they are now.

 **To be continued**

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 **Next chapter will be about how they meet as adult**

 **Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it takes a long time. I have exams last week. And here we go, the next chapter!**

 **Beta read by Purpledinorus**

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Some people say that fate is like a wheel. There are ups and downs in life.

For Iishiro, he doesn't really believe in fate. If fate does exist then his fate is only going down and down and even worse than down.

But his therapist adviced him to stop thinking like that. He can't be a positive person with all of the things happened his dark past but he can try to be more realistic and less pessimistic.

Because not many children from institutions can be a policeman. Many people says he should have been more proud of himself. But then again, it is just a fluke plus some pity from the instructor, even if Iishiro has studied as hard as he could, with his mental condition and his unique appearance, it is a wonder he can be a policeman.

Is this his fate? After 17 years living in institutions, after all the bullying, after all the abuse, maybe even someone like him has 'ups' in his life.

Maybe... Because he still waits for the sudden downer in his life. He still waits for when his life will take a sudden dark turn, again.

"Yorusawa-san, there is someone who brings a lost child here, can you handle it?"

Iishiro stops sorting the reports for awhile. It is rare for him to handle cases directly. He is not a newbie, but most people in police station aware of his fragile mental condition so mostly they just give him easier work with less mental pressure.

"Sure," he simply says.

Lost child is an easy case. He just needs to ask some questions, writes the report, tell his superior, then waits until the guardian of the lost child appears.

If the case suddenly takes a surprising turn... Lets just hope it won't happen.

He walks to the front office, expecting an upset lost child with a kind stranger.

But his eyes widens when he sees a red haired girl.

It is rare to see a red head in Japan. Though, his white hair is even rarer.

She meets his eyes and she also looks surprised.

It takes a few second before they breaks the eye contact because of the supposed lost child looking confused between them.

"Ah... Excuse me, I'm officer Yorusawa Iishiro," he tries to be more professional. He sits in front of the computer across the girl and the lost child. "I heard you bring a lost child here, is that right?"

He might have used a too intimidating voice because she looks shaken for a moment.

"Yes! She is-"

"Anone, anone, Mr. Policeman," the lost child, or maybe in a better term, little girl raises her hand.

"Yes?" Iishiro turns to her. She looks older than most lost children. Maybe around 7 years old. It is rather weird, with how most children in Japan is taught to be independent.

"You have interesting hair color! It is white! Just like in anime!"

Iishiro is flabbergasted for a moment and the red haired girl panicked.

"Riida-chan, that's rude. You can't say that!" she whispers to her, but Iishiro can hear it.

"It is okay, I'm used with that. This is my natural hair color. Do you prefer it black?" he asks the little girl, Riida, who looks too brave for a lost child.

"No! It suits you, it looks good," Riida answers with a cute smile. Iishiro can't help but smiles as well. Both him and the red haired girl look more in ease thanks to Riida.

"Okay, first, can I ask your name?" he turns to the older girl without meeting her eyes.

"Oh, my name is Akachi Reimi," she answers. He nods and types on the computer.

"Age? Occupation?" he asks more in shorter question.

"I'm 22 years old, currently I'm working at RBC delivery company," she answers again.

"Okay then, Riida-chan, is it okay for me to ask you some questions?" he turns to the lost child. She nods enthusiastically.

"My name is Miikawa Riida, 7 years old, I'm now at 2nd year of Sekui Elementary School, my mom's name is Miikawa Dairii," she says before Iishiro asks. He smiles at her but then stops typing.

"Sekui Elementary School is in the other city right? It is far from here," he says. Riida nods with a big smile.

"Yes, I'm visiting my auntie right now!" She answers again. Iishiro feels glad for a lost child, Riida is cooperating with him. It will make his job much more easier.

"Oh I see, so what happened?" he asks more casually and less rigid. His fingers are busy typing on the keyboards.

"You see, I was shopping with my mom at a shopping district. Then, my mom told me to get ground meat at the butcher shop and wait there while she would go to other stores. But mom took a really long time, so I tried to find her then bumped into Reimi-neechan," Riida tells him her story. Iishiro turns into Reimi.

"Yes, I met her in the Sotoro shopping district, she looked lost so I brought her here."

Iishiro blinks a few times then tilts his head. "Sotoro shopping district is two bus stop from here though... Isn't there a small police station near the shopping district?" he asks.

Reimi looks so bashful suddenly and Riida just keeps smiling.

"I-I tried to find the nearest police station... And then... Well, sort of got lost before we came here..." Reimi explains with a red face.

Iishiro blinks then turns to Riida who still smiling. "It was a fun walk! We saw the river! Then there was also a nice park. I want to play there with mom!"

"Doesn't it take around 30 minutes to get here by walking?" he asks again.

Reimi shrinks in her chair. "...yes..."

"Okay..." Iishiro mumbles while typing that into his report. He doesn't expect this kind of turn at all. If Reimi brought Riida to the nearest station from the shopping district, it would be less complicated.

"Do you have your mom's phone number, Riida-chan?" Iishiro asks the more dependable girl.

"I don't have it," she answers back.

Right, if she has it, she won't be here. Still it worth a shoot.

"Okay, lets see. I think maybe your mom tries to find you at the police station there. I will contact them so your mom can pick you up here. How does that sound?"

"Perfect!" Riida gives him thumb-up. Iishiro only smiles to her.

Iishiro prints his report and ready to go to his superior and reports this weird lost child case, but when he goes out of the front office, someone grabs his arm.

"Excuse me, officer Yorusawa."

He turns to see Reimi has caught up to him.

"Yes? Is something wrong...?" he asks back.

"Uhm... I'm sorry... I don't know... I mean, when I found Riida, I thought I can help her... but I think I only made this complicated. I just moved to this town recently, so... maybe I shouldn't have done this, I'm really sorry."

He stares at her, she looks down. He admits that she does make this unnecessarily complicated, but still...

"You only tried to help and that's good. Riida-chan looks like she is having fun as well, no harm done. Though... Maybe you should apologize to her mom rather than me," he replies.

She looks surprised for a second, maybe because she doesn't think about that before.

"To be honest, maybe Riida-chan is hiding something as well. She is too composed and happy for a lost child. It is not really your fault," he adds before he turns to go to his superior's office.

"Huh?" Reimi was confused, but Iishiro has shut the door.

IoI

"Riida! I told you to wait for me at the bucther shop. Why didn't you do as I told? You stupid lil girl!"

Iishiro sees a young woman, younger than what he expect. She also carries a baby on her back, probably Riida's sibling. Now, he starts to see the reason why this all has happened. Riida only wants to get her mom attention, though maybe in the end she really got lost together with Reimi.

"Sorry mom... It is just... It has been a long time since we go shopping together. But, you also bring Baki with us... I-I'm a little upset...," Riida starts to break down.

"And then you wanted to make me worry with your little game? Riida... Oh dear... I thought I have taught you better than this... But I guess, I'm at fault too. I'm sorry, okay?" she looks like a strong and cold mother, but she turns soft in a moment and hugs Riida. The little girl finally bawls in her mom's embrace.

"Oh..."

Iishiro turns to see Reimi beside him, it seems she also understand the situation now.

"And Akachi-san and Mr. Policeman, I'm really sorry. I mean, this little girl is just playing around and you have to deal with all of this trouble. I'm really sorry" the mother bows to both of them.

"No, no, it is okay! This is my fault too! I should have brought her to the nearest station but then we got lost... I'm sorry," Reimi adds bashfully.

"It is okay, Akachi-san. You are a woman with a good heart!" the mother forgives her easily. Reimi smiles to her and Riida.

They bids farewell to the mother and daughter. Unexpectedly it has been raining for awhile when they were dealing with this weird case. Fortunately, the mother brings two umbrella for her and her daughter.

"Thank you so much, Reimi-neechan, Mr. Policeman!" she waves cheerfully.

Reimi and Iishiro waves back to her until they can't see the little girl any longer. Then, both of them just silently watch the rain.

"I feel incredibly stupid today," she mumbles quietly, her eyes still look up to the grey sky above them.

"It is okay. You have something else to do yet you still bother to help a little girl. Even if in the end it made things more complicated, but your heart is in the right place." Iishiro tries to comfort her.

Now, this feeling is really nostalgic.

Is she really..?

"How do you know I have something else to do?" Reimi asks back.

"Easy, when you accompany Riida-chan to wait for her mother, you kept cheking your phone and your watch," he explains.

She hums and nods. "As expected from a police officer."

Iishiro can't help but smile upon hearing that.

"But unfortunately, I don't bring my umbrella... Where is the nearest convenience store?" she asks him.

He glances to her then hold back his sigh. He can't say that he doesn't believe her to find the convenience store without getting lost.

"It is a bit far from here. Let me get my umbrella" he says before turning back towards the office.

"Eh? Wait! You don't need to do that, Officer Yorusawa!" she calls him back but he ignores her.

While searching for his umbrella, Iishiro can't help but think about the innocent promise he had with a little red haired little girl a long time ago.

After that innocent meeting, they've never met again. He moved into a specialized institution for problematic children and spent a dark life there. It is embarrassing to admit, but the innocent promise is one of the little good memories he has that made him strong to go through that.

It feels good to know that at least someone still likes him out there.

But his mind always tells him to give up. It is just a children promise. The little girl has probably forgotten about it. She probably has met someone else and has a happy life, better than him.

"This is the umbrella, you can return it anytime, just give it to the guards," he says while offering his black umbrella.

"Officer Yorusama, you really don't need to do this...," she still hesitates, but the rain is pouring harder outside.

"It is okay. This is a part of the police's job. Just take it," he pushes the umbrella onto her hands. She finally accepts it.

"Thank you..." she says with a sincere smile.

"Your welcome," he replies back, he can't look at her eyes. It really makes his heart aches with longing.

Is it her...?

"Uhm... Can I ask you a weird question?" she asks timidly.

"Yeah...," he answers rather hesitantly.

"Do you have someone who will bring an umbrella for you when it rains?"

His eyes widens and stares at her. She looks so embarrassed.

"...I don't have anyone who would bring me an umbrella," he replies solemnly.

She looks surprised and it concludes his theory.

"It is you right?" he asks.

"In the tube slide when it rains?" she asks back.

"We really do meet again...," he still can't believe it. They are in different towns, with different occupations and addresses but still, they meet again.

"Yes..." she looks so happy.

He can't believe it. Not only she still remembers, but she looks really happy to meet him again. Suddenly, he feels uneasy.

Is it okay for him to try...?

His mind tells him to stop. It is stupid and rather creepy. But, his little heart tells him to do it. Because... Because he also wants to be happy.

"The promise... Can you give me a chance to fulfill it for you?"

He asks and she looks shocked.

He regrets it instantly. Maybe, she is just happy because she wants to meet him again, not because of the promise. Maybe, she already has someone else... It will make it awkward, and he will lose any chance to reconnect his relationship with her and-

"Yes... Yes please!" she shouts back, making him jumps.

Iishiro don't believe in fate. If fate does exist then his fate is only has something bad in store for his life. But for this once, he wants to try again to pursue happiness. Even though it is scary and his mind is screaming for him to stop it.

"Okay then, are you free this weekend?"

"Yes!"

It is worth a shot. Maybe, even someone like him can find happiness. He has to try.

 **To Be Continued**

* * *

 **The next chapter is rather angsty. Just prepare yourself for it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is heavy with angst and plenty OOC for 1146, so happy reading!**

 **Beta read by Pilongski**

* * *

Humans have an interesting way to explain their days than other living creatures. Some agree that Monday is the worst day, while the best is between Friday and Saturday. Or that weekends are slow and relaxing while weekdays are stressful and tiring.

For Yorusawa Iishiro, his days are just 'a bad day' and 'a less bad day'. If he is optimistic enough, he will say that he has some decent days too.

Though, recently his life has changed drasticly. His meeting with a particular girl from his childhood has brought a new light to his days.

In the past, he never imagined anyone would want to have a relationship with him as more than an acquaintance or a friend. He might looked dependable from the outside, and his overall look weren't bad besides his white skin and hair, but most Japanese believed in heredity. They believed if the parents were a bad person then their children would become a bad person too. So, even if his colleagues have tried to introduce some of their female friends to him, none of them wanted to have anything to do with him once they knew that Iishiro was an institutionalized child.

But Reimi is different. Of course, she knows about his past since their first meeting. But even then, she still confessed to him first and they have been a couple for a few months now.

It is scary and endearing.

He is very happy and very nervous.

He has no clue on what to do in an advance relationship like this. He has no family, no parental figures, and no best friend. Well, after he works at the current police station, he does have some interesting juniors and a kind senior. But he won't say he's close to any of them. He can handle professional relationship well, but he has trouble with interpersonal relationship.

He is still learning.

Just like now.

["I guess after your patrol during storm yesterday, it is understandable that you catch a cold now, Yorusawa-senpai."]

He coughs a few times before he replies through his smartphone.

"Still, I'm sorry," he manages to say before he coughs more.

["Relax senpai, we got it covered. Now, you just have to focus on getting better! Oh yeah, have you told Reimi-san about this? You live alone right? You'd better contact her."]

Iishiro goes silent for a while. It is not really a big deal. Even though his headache makes his head feel like splitting, his stomach is churning, and his fever is rather high, this is nothing new.

"I will tell her later," he finally says.

Later, when he gets better.

["Okay then, take care senpai, get well soon!"]

And his junior cuts off the phone.

Iishiro lets himself fall onto the bed.

This is nothing new, he gets sick easily after all. To be honest, rather than the storm, it's probably the stress that finally got into him.

After a few months, Reimi finally has courage to ask him about his institutional life before. He has avoided to talk about his past, after all this time. There is nothing good to tell her of it. He doesn't want her to know more. She looks sad after that.

He wonders if he hurts her because of that.

He thinks about it all the time and it starts to pile up into a stress, and the stress turns into a sickness. The headache, high fever, stomach ache, nausea, and the list goes on.

And nightmares.

Oh god, he dreads that part.

This is surely will become a very bad day for him.

So, he isn't sure whether he should tell Reimi about this or not. He gets sick because of his own stupidity, and his stress is just making it worst. He is used to handle it alone anyway. And he doesn't want to trouble her.

She doesn't deserve that.

God, he doesn't deserve her.

Iishiro groans. With some stumbling steps, he gets some water, chugs some medicines and let himself fall again onto the bed.

He knows that nightmare will come.

This will be a very bad day for him.

IoI

 _His whole body hurt_ _s_ _. But his chest hurt_ _s_ _the most. He looks into his chest_ _and_ _he find_ _s_ _a broken heart there. It has no shape_ _but_ _it_ _'s_ _bleeding and_ _it's_ _broken to pieces._

 _It_ _hurts_ _so_ _,_ _so much._

 _So_ _he tries to tend his wounded heart with his wounded hands._

 _He glances to other people around him. None of them ha_ _s_ _a perfect_ _ly_ _healthy heart either, but their heart_ _s_ _are treated with bandages and band aids. He notices that they are not alone._ _All of t_ _he_ _m_ _are with someone and they are laughing. Some of them even tend_ _to_ _someone else's heart._

 _He watches them with so much envy._

 _He is alone so he has no choice but to tend his wounds by himself._

 _He has no one_ _and_ _some dark shadows_ _are_ _haunting behind him._

 _ **"Iishiro-kun, it is not anyone's fault that you are alone**_ _ **. I**_ _ **t**_ _ **is**_ _ **your**_ _ **s**_ _ **alone**_ _ **."**_

 _ **"You ha**_ _ **ve**_ _ **to try harder to get friends."**_

 _ **"No wonder your mom leave you behind."**_

 _He blinks the tears away, trying his best not to listen to the shadows. Their words just make his heart cracks more._

 _He wants to ask for help but he has no one_ _. He_ _is utterly alone._

 _Tending his heart with his wounded hands is hard_ _. He_ _is doing his best but his heart has no real shape anymore. It_ _ha_ _s broken beyond recognition._

 _"Hey, do you need help?"_

 _There_ _is_ _a girl in front of h_ _im_ _. She has a broken heart too, but not as bad as his heart. But even then, she has a warm smile. Without waiting his answer, she tends_ _to_ _his heart. Her touch is gentle. She is very patient, picking_ _the_ _pieces_ _of his heart_ _one by one._

 _"Uhm, sorry to ask this, but can you tend my heart too in the meanwhile?" she asks politely._

 _Oh right, he should tend her heart too._

 _But he doesn't know how._

 _He is afraid to make it worse._

 _His hands are trembling so much._

 _He is not sure he can do it._

 _Her heart looks so delicate. It is broken but it still looks beautiful, shining in amber color. Not like his,_ _which already looks like_ _a_ _piece of rock._

 _"Is something wrong? Why are you not treating my heart?"_ _S_ _he stops and stares at him._

 _He opens his mouth to answer._

 _But he doesn't know how to explain it to her._

 _"Or maybe you are broken so bad that you can't tend other's heart?"_

 _He is stunned._

 _Is he?_

 _"I'm really sorry. I thought I can help you, while you_ _help me. I thought we can help each other. But, if you can't then I need to find someone else."_

 _She turns around and he tries to follow her but the shadows are cling_ _ing_ _onto his lower_ _half so he can't move._

 _"You know, at least I think I'm better than you, I still try to help other so others can help me. Unlike you,_ _who are_ _just wallowing in your despair doing nothing."_

 _He opens his mouth to scream but the shadow has reach_ _ed_ _his mouth, blocking his speech._

 _His visions are blurry with tears_ _._ _H_ _e can't scream out his despair and the shadow finally covers his entire body and pulls his body to the darkness._

 _He tries to break free but..._

 _It hurts so much..._

 _It just hurts so much..._

 _"I'm so sorry... Sorry..."_

"Iish...-san."

 _"I'm really sorry. Sorry, it is my fault... Sorry. It is all my fault."_

"...shiro...-san."

 _"I'm sorry I live... I'm sorry... But please don't go..."_

"Iishiro-san."

"Don't leave me alone."

"Iishiro-san."

He gasps and suddenly the rush of lights is blinding his eyes. There is someone else beside him and he just clunges hard to that person.

"Don't go! I'm so sorry! Please don't go!"

"Iishiro-san?"

The darkness is so cold. His chest hurts so much. But now not only his chest, but his stomach and throats feels like burning.

Wait...

He blinks away the tears, trying to get better vision.

This feels real.

But it can't be.

If this is real, then he should wake up alone. This never happens before.

It must be another dream them. Yeah, sometimes something like that can happen, a dream that exists inside a dream.

The hand that pats his back is not real. It is just his imagination. He has felt miserable for so long, this is not the first time he dreams something like this either.

He doesn't know if he wants to wake up or not.

"Ssh... Calm down... You are okay..."

He rests his head onto that person's shoulder.

It is better than usual. It feels more realistic. He wonders if he makes this up from his rare moment of hugging someone else. He doesn't have many skinship with anyone before. He just observes people do it but rarely experience it by himself.

So, is this how it feels?

Oh yeah, this is just a dream. It is not real, but still this feels nice.

And he will take any comfort he gets, even from a dream.

"Are you feeling better?"

The body gently slids away from his embrace and there is a hand on his forehead.

"Still feels hot..."

It sounds feminine.

And the hand moves and erases his tears.

It feels so gentle.

"Iishiro-san? Do you hear me?"

Now that his eyes no longer blurry, he can see better who is in front of him.

"Reimi?"

This Reimi has no gaping chest where he can see her heart. This Reimi is wearing her usual uniform from her delivery company.

She touches his forehead again.

"You are sweating so much and you still have fever too... Do you have a thermometer?"

He blinks then stares at her.

She is real.

Then, is this reality?

The sudden twist and burning sensation inside his stomach and throat reminds him that this is reality.

"Sorry!" he gasps before he runs out from the bed.

"Iishiro-san!?"

He stumbles into the bathroom. Once he reaches the sink, he throws up painfully. He doesn't have anything inside his stomach beside water and acid, so his throat and mouth feels like burning and bitterly sour.

There is a hand rubbing his back. He wants to turn and says something but he gags again and coughs heavily.

"Ssshh... It's okay... Relax, Iishiro-san..."

Iishiro takes a deep breath, his stomach and throat still feels burning, but at least the twisting stops. He almost collapses to the sink if not because Reimi's hand supporting his body.

She carefully helps him sit on the toilet seat. She watches him with concerned eyes.

"How are you feeling? Maybe we should go to a hospital," she murmurs softly to him.

Iishiro shakes his head slowly. Reimi takes a towel from the cupboard then wipes his mouth and his sweaty face.

"I feel better... It's okay... I think my fever has gone down too...," he mumbles.

Reimi looks doubtful but she stays silent and gently wipes his face.

"Why are you here?" finally Iishiro asks.

"I had to deliver something to your work place today then it turned out, you weren't there. Your friend said you were sick. But, when I knocked your door, you didn't answer. So, I opened your door using the spare key you gave me. So here I am."

He nods, silently regretting why he gave her his spare key in the first place.

"Sorry..."

He knows that he is wrong. He should have told her. But he also feels regret to trouble her like this. If it is possible, he wants her to leave him alone. But, he knows that will hurt her more. So, right now he can only apologize to her.

Reimi concerned face turns into a more sorrowful expression. She sighs then smiles to him gently.

"You don't need to be sorry. Just... Please just let me take care of you," she says.

Iishiro nods carefully.

To be honest, even if he wants her to leave him alone because he feels that he doesn't deserve her attention... But the truth is, if he can be a little bit selfish, he doesn't want her to leave.

He is the worst.

IoI

"Are you angry?"

She turns to him. His apartment is small, it only has one bedroom, a small kitchen in the hallway, and the bathroom near the front door. From his bed, Iishiro can see that Reimi is cooking something for him.

"I'm not angry...," she answers. But from the tone, he knows that he has hurt her, again.

"Sorry...," he mumbles weakly.

"Like I said, you don't have to be sorry, Iishiro-san."

He shuts his mouth.

This is getting nowhere.

Finally she turns off the stove. "I hope you like porridge, I want to make something else but your fridge is almost empty."

She sits carefully on the edge of his bed with a bowl of steaming porridge on her hands.

He tries to remember the last time people take care of him like this. Probably in the institution. Because once he is old enough to live alone, he has no one else to take care of him.

"Do you want me to feed you?" she asks with a smile.

"I can eat by myself," he answer back.

It is embarrassing enough when she helps him change his drenched pajamas earlier.

"Careful, it's hot," she adds.

The bowl feels warm on his palm. He scoops some then blows it softly before brings it into his mouth.

"It is good," he says.

"Porridge is mostly tasteless you know and it is not helping that you don't have any seasoning at all," she says with a little laugh.

"I have salt and pepper," he retorts back.

"Yeah, and I bought it for you last month," she replies.

"But, it is really good, I'm being honest."

Because he rarely eats porridge. Even in institution, it is a hassle to make a different meal for each sick kids. Basically he doesn't remember the last time someone make him a porridge.

"Okay," she says. "Once we go grocery shopping again, I will show you how tasty porridge is later."

He smiles tightly. Maybe because he is sick, it is harder to control his emotion than usual. He hurts her and yet she still takes care of him like this.

"I'm just... I'm so sorry...," he mumbles then covers his eyes with his left hand.

Reimi takes his bowl from his lap then touches his face gently.

"Iishiro-san... Look at me please."

He opens his eyes, he feels so ashamed of himself. He just doesn't know what to do in a relationship. He feels like he keeps making mistakes.

But Reimi's eyes are so soft. They are sorrowful but so understanding.

"I admit... I feel a little bit... disappointed because you didn't tell me that you are sick... but I understand too. You are used to handle everything by yourself and not to rely on others," she takes his hand and squeezes it.

"But I want you to know that you are not alone anymore. I'm your girlfriend right?" she blushes lightly and he also feels his face becomes hotter. They are taking this relationship slowly and it still feels weird to call her that.

Even if sometimes they are so casually domestic, but it still feels weird.

"I'm here Iishiro-san. Maybe I'm not really dependable, but you can rely on me in times like this," she smiles to him.

He doesn't know what to say, so he just nods.

"And about your past...," Iishiro tenses a little, but Reimi squeezes his hand again. "Sorry for that, I will wait. You can tell me when you are ready. Then we can swipe stories about our past But only when you are ready, okay?"

He is so ready to burst into tears but Reimi beats him into it.

"Sorry, oh god... I'm trying to be strong. But, I keep imagining how you have been handling everything like this alone... And I..."

He hugs her, at first, uncertainly, but she hugs him back tightly so he wraps his arm around her tighter.

"Don't imagine it, I'm okay now, you are here now," he says.

Reimi nods and slowly stops crying.

"I was like that too. I mean... My aunt is not really abusive, but she doesn't care if I get sick so... I always handled it alone too. It was so lonely...," she mumbles between her sobs.

He nods and pats her head. "I know, you have me now. We are okay, we will take care each other."

Suddenly, it downs to him how he has hurt her.

Just like how he wants to take care of her, to never let her lonely again, she must be feels same but he has pushed her out instead.

He is really stupid.

"I will get better, I will learn. I-I'm sorry... I'm really clueless about any kind of relationship," he admits with shame.

"I don't know too... We will do it together," she squeezes his hand so he squeezes back.

"Yeah, together..."

"And one more Iishiro-san."

He turns down to see her eyes. They still looks teary and reds but she has stopped crying.

"Instead saying sorry, you can try to say 'thank you'."

He blinks a few times, she just smiles to him.

"Thank you," he tries.

She nods happily.

"Thank you for being here and taking care of me...," he adds.

"That feels better," she kisses his cheek. He blushes instantly.

"Reimi, don't! You will caught my cold," he lets go his embrace and moved away a little from her.

"I don't really care, if I'm sick, it will be your turn to take care of me," she says happily.

When she laughs, he can't help but laughs along.

This relationship still feels scary for him. But he realizes that this is a risk. He has to take it if he wants to be happy. Even if he is scared that he will messed up. Even if he knows that he will hurt her again later in the future, intentionally or not, but he wants to be happy and he wants to make her happy too. So, he has to try and learn.

Because, sometimes happiness don't just come to you. You have to fight for it and earn it by your own effort.

 **To be continued**

 **Okay, just two chapter more!**

 **Please review!**


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